Wolfpack deliver something of pride!! Scraps back to win Glenn Wilkes

09-10 Basketball General60

Any time NC State can beat Jeff Lebo it can’t help but feel just a little better than any other win!!

You REALLY have to give Coach Lowe and the Wolfpack a lot of credit for coming from behind to beat Auburn, 60-58, when Tracy Smith rebounded and put back a Julius Mays miss from the corner. (Link to ACCNow)

Glenn Wilkes

We followed it live on our Twitter feed and the community really jumped into the thread on the message boards.

Coach Lowe really loves November in Florida. First it was the Old Spice Classic two years ago & now the Wolfpack sweeps the field to go 4-0 over the last week in the Glenn Wilkes.

Dennis Horner – 17 pts
Tracy Smith – 11 pts
Scott Wood – 10 pts

Other than poor shooting by both teams, Auburn’s FT shooting (5-15) has to be the key stat of the game.

Look, I recognize that this is basically nothing in the entire scheme of things; but you can only play what is on your schedule and at the moment we are 4-0.

Class of 2009: I mean, all things considered, I’ll take it. Those last few minutes I was still expecting a Pack-Meltdown simply due to the deep scars Herb left on my basketball soul. It is really, really refreshing to see a team do something that resembles trying on the final stretch of a game.

I honestly was HOPING that State would be 3-1 right now, and had mentally prepared myself to be 2-2. To get out of this with a 4-0 record actually has me doing math to try to calculate a winning season and try to find a way to get into the NIT or CBI or something.

I tended to agree with the following comment from one of our posters and thought I would share:

Ok, I’m starting to figure this team out a little more. Smith, Horner and Wood are the only guys that act like they know how to score. Javy and Mays can shoot when open, but struggle getting good looks. Painter and JV are big bodies that can play defense and maybe get a few garbage buckets/FTs. The real mystery is CJW. We need 10 points per game from him in order to be successful. Assuming we need 75 points to win games, we need the following.

Smith – 15
Horner – 10
Wood – 10
CJW – 10
Everyone else – 30

Degand and Howell could really help this team. Degand is aggressive and helps a little on D. Not sure what Howell can bring, but he’s our highest rated freshman.

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09-10 Basketball General

60 Responses to Wolfpack deliver something of pride!! Scraps back to win Glenn Wilkes

  1. Dr. BadgerPack 11/23/2009 at 5:08 PM #

    Not to mention, with the way we were handling offensive rebounding during the game perhaps the highest percentage play WAS an outside shot, with Smith down low to get a potential second chance opportunity. (Which is just how it worked out).

    The other bonus if you make the 3 pointer (and I may be giving Sid WAY too much credit here), is that up three you have the opportunity to foul and seriously limit the oppositions ability to tie the game on one possession.

  2. theghost 11/23/2009 at 5:47 PM #

    I agree with the question on the 3 (I did bring it up, after all), but we can’t be too simplistic. If the play was designed with the intention of shooting a 3, then I don’t like it. But if it really was a design play and not a hotheaded guard launching a misguided 3 (in the tradition of many who have gone before him), then it was likely a read, where Smith, Mays, and maybe others were all options depending on how Auburn reacted when Gonzalez penetrated. If the play was designed to pressure the Auburn defense and react to what they give you, then it makes sense they would stop penetration and cover Smith, leaving Mays open as the best option – in which case I like it. He did miss, but an uncontested guard should be good odds – much better than 30%. Heck, the fact that Gonzalez penetrated at all is a sign that something has improved. I remember far too many games where the final play was either a fadeaway 30-footer or a shot clock violation.

  3. Dr. BadgerPack 11/23/2009 at 6:22 PM #

    I should make it clear that I speculate Sid said take the 3 if it’s open…

    Ooooh. I remember those 30 foot fadeaways. Not to mention 30 foot leaners with a vacating defender.

  4. Lunatic Fringe 11/23/2009 at 6:57 PM #

    The 3 keys that made the final shot successful:

    – We initiated the play with sufficient amount of time on the clock (so enough time to take good shot & perhaps a put back)
    – We took the RIGHT shot with someone capable of making that shot
    – We had guys in the right place for the put back

    I have lost count how many times we have miserably failed all three of these items on final game-winning opportunities over the years.

    I will take the wins (regardless of whose the competition) along with these little victories (a team who struggles, but finds a way to win – like the last play) and be happy.

  5. FunPack 11/23/2009 at 9:07 PM #

    Lunatic Fringe, right on. Excellent post. We needed a play, and made a play. Something we’ve lacked for a long time.

  6. MrPlywood 11/23/2009 at 10:54 PM #

    I half expected the Pack to lose that game, so I was fairly happy at the outcome. Especially the put-back, that was exciting.

  7. Daily Update 11/24/2009 at 10:18 AM #

    I haven’t read many of these comments. I had a blast watching these games in Blacksburg. I don’t care who we played. We won and for this team that is all that matters as we try to scrape out a winning season. Without Degand, we are severely lacking in terms of bodies in the backcourt.

  8. bradleyb123 11/24/2009 at 10:54 AM #

    Speaking of Degand, is there any word on if and when he’ll return? And what about Howell? Can we expect to see him any time soon?

  9. JeremyH 11/24/2009 at 12:21 PM #

    go the hell Carolina.

    (you may liken this to a red sox fan spontaneously yelling “yankees suck” at a red sox game at which the yankees are not the opposing team.)

  10. GoldenChain 11/24/2009 at 4:33 PM #

    BY GWAD! That Glenn Wilkes Throphy and that stick of Old Spice, they can’t take that away from us!

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